1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the game of golf and more particularly concerns golf clubs known as “putters” which are used on golf greens to strike and move or putt a golf ball along the surface of a golf green to a hole or cup that is located in the green or “chippers”, which are used to move or chip a golf ball located off the green to a position on the green and adjacent the cup. More particularly the present invention concerns the material from which the ball striking head portion of a golf putter or chipper is made and the configuration of the ball striking surface of the head portion of a putter or chipper.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Golf putters having putter heads have been manufactured having a wide variety of striking face configurations including flat striking surfaces and striking surfaces of convex and concave configuration. Golf putter heads have also been developed and manufactured having various types of ball striking face inserts, including inserts composed of polymer material.
The majority of the golf putters on the market at the present time have a flat metal or plastic ball striking face. With this flat faced design concept the striking face of a putter will make point contact with the generally spherical dimpled surface of a golf ball. It is important to maintain a straight alignment between the golf ball and the cup of a green or a path (a point) that allows for a right or left hand break of the path of the ball into the cup. Point contact of this nature requires a high degree of accuracy requiring that the flat face of the putter be oriented precisely at a right angle with the intended initial path of the ball. Any angular deviation of the striking face of the putter head will cause the ball to start its movement along an undesired or deviated path so that its propensity to roll left or right of the cup is typically the result. Golfers spend many hours practicing diligently to train their muscle memory in a manner so that the putter face is virtually always oriented at a right angle to the intended initial path of the ball at the time the ball is struck. After the ball is properly struck in a putting stroke, the slope or inclination of the surface of the green, the orientation of the blades of grass of the green and the wind velocity and direction are some of the many factors that must be taken into consideration in order to putt the ball along a proper path and into the cup.
Golf putters having a convexly or concavely curved ball striking face configuration nevertheless achieve point contact with the spherical surface of a golf ball and therefore have the same sort of problems or shortcomings as golf putters having flat faced ball striking configuration.
Accordingly, it is desirable therefore to provide a golf putter having a ball striking face that achieves greater surface contact between the face of a putter and the golf ball being struck thereby during a putting stroke. It is also desirable to provide a golf putter having a ball striking face having a spherical radius profile that incorporates and closely approximates or matches the spherical configuration of a golf ball so that essentially matching surface to surface ball contact results during a putting stroke.